Keyboard and attachment therefor.



No. 733,261. PATENTED JULY 7, 1903.

G. L. NOE. KEYBOARD AND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 3, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

l7 IE1 IN VE N 70/? earyez .260

ATTOHNE Y8.

W/ TNESSES:

m: NORRIS PETERS co. rnorau'rnq. WASHINOYON, n c.

No. 733,261 PATENTED JULY 7, 1903.

G. L. NOE.

KEYBOARD AND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED mm a, 1902.

2 man's-31mm 2.

N ELL a no MODEL.

//v VENTOH g y G'ewyeLJ Je w z ATTORNEYS.

No. teaser.

UNITED STATES Patented July 7,

PATENT OFFICE.

KEYBOARD AND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,261, dated July 7, 1903.

Application filed June 3, 1902. Serial No. 110,078. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE LAFAYETTE NOE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Veiland, in the county of Elke and State of Nevada, have invented a new and Improved Keyboard and Attachment Therefor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to pianos and organs; and its object is to provide a new and improved keyboard and attachment therefor for enabling a performer to play the notes from the score of any given piece entirely upon the white keys without paying any regard to the signature, so that the performer is relieved of the mental operation of computing the changes to be made according to the signature.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement, parts being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective View of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional perspective view of the joint of the sections of a natural key and the auxiliary arm of the rear section. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of one of the shifting-bars, and Fig. 6 is a reduced front view of part of the keyboard. 7

The natural keys H and the black or flat and sharp keys I are arranged in the usual order, as indicated in Fig. 1, and each of the natural keys H is made in two sections H and H of which the section H is the front or finger section and the other section H is the rear section. The rear ends of the black keys I and the rear ends of the rear sections H are connected in the usual manner by thrust-rods J with the hammer-action for sounding the strings of the instrument. The sections H and H of each natural key H are independently fulcrumed on pins K and K, projecting upwardly from a rail L, while the black keys I are fulcrumed on pins K held on the said rail L. The sections H and H of a natural key are adapted to be coupled together by a lever N, fulcrumed at N near the rear end of the front section H, immediately behind the board 0, and the free end of the lever N is adapted to engage an undercut or shoulder H formed on the rear section H Thus when the lever N of a natural key connects the sections H and H with each other then this key H can be played in the usual manner; but when the leverNis swung to one side out of engagement with the undercut or projection H then the sections H and H are uncoupled. The lever N of a natural key when swung sidewise to uncouple the sections H and H moves with its free end in engagement with an undercut I on the adjacent black key I to the rear of the fulcrum K thereof to couple the front section H of a natural key to this black key, and hence when the front or finger section of the natural key is played then the black key to which it is coupled is actuated.

Each lever N for the same natural key of the several octaves of the keyboard is provided between its ends with a vertical pivot P, on which is fulcrumed an arm Q, attached at its free end to a slide R, and as there are seven natural keys H in ea'ch octave it is evident that seven slides R are provided, preferably arranged one behind the other and extending transversely over the keys H and I in the rear of the boardO. The ends of the slides R are mounted to slide in suitable bearings R forming part of the keyboardframe. Each of the slides R is engaged by the free end of a spring S to hold, the slideR in either of the positions it is moved in, as hereinafter more fully described. Each of the slides R is provided with one or more pairs of lugs T, and between the members of each pair of lugs extends the free end of a bell-crank lever U, fulcrumed on a bracket 0', secured to the rear face of the name-board O, and the said bell-crank lever U is pivotally connected with a rod V, mounted to slide transversely in the name-board O, and on the outer end of the rod V is secured orformed a knob V, adapted to be taken hold of by the operator for pulling or pushing the rod, so as to impart a swinging motion to the corresponding lever U to shift the corresponding slide R over to the right or to the left, according to what connection between the lever U of a natural key H and the corresponding flat or sharp key I is to be made, as hereinafter more fully described. It is understood that each slide R is connected by an arm Q and a lever N with the same natural key in each octave of the keyboard, so that the fingersections H of the same natural keys H in the several octaves can be simultaneously connected with the corresponding black keys whenever the corresponding knob V is pulled out to shift the corresponding slide B.

As shown in the drawings, seven slides R are employed and ten rods V and corresponding bell-crank levers for connecting the rods with the said slides. The five rods V in the right-hand side of the keyboard serve to shift the first five slides R to the right to connect the natural keys A, D, G, F, and C of the several octaves with the adjacent sharp keys of the several octaves, and the five rods Vat the left-hand side of the keyboard serve to shift the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh slide R to the left to connect the natural keys of A, D, G, B, and E of the several octaves with the adjacent flat keys of the several octaves. Then the knobs V of the rods V are all in an innermost position-that is, abutting against the face of the board O- then the black keys are all uncoupled from the natural keys, and the finger-pieces and rear sections of the natural keys are coupled together. Thus when the knob V of a rod V on the left-hand side of the keyboard is pulled out the corresponding slide R is moved to the left. The several links Q of this slide impart a sidewise swinging movement to the left to the corresponding levers N to disengage the latter from the undercuts H of the naturalkey sections H and to engage the levers with the undercuts I of the corresponding fiat keys I, and hence when such natural key in any octave is pressed the adjacent flat key is actuated. In a like manner when a knob V of a rod V on the right-hand side of the keyboard is pulled out the corresponding slide R is shifted to the right, and the several links Q of this slide impart a sidewise motion to the right to the corresponding levers N to disengage the latter from the undercuts H of the natural-key sections H and to engage the levers with the undercuts I of the adjacent sharp keys I, and hence when such naturalkey in any octave is pressed the adjacent sharp key is actuated. In practice the performer before beginning to execute the piece of music pulls out the knobs V for coupling the natural keys to such sharpor fiat keys as are called for by the scale in which the music is written. Now when the music to be played contains, say, A-fiats then the operator pulls the left hand knob V (shown in an outward position in Fig. 1) to cause the corresponding bell-crank lever U toslide the corresponding slide R to the left, so as to move all the arms Q and levers N connected with this slide to connect the finger-sections of the natural keys A with the adjacent flat keys, as shown in said Fig. 1. Now when any one of the keys of A is played then the A-fiat key I is actuated, while the rear sections H of the natural key of A remain dormant. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the third, fourth, and fifth slides R are each connected with two rods V, while the first two and the last two slides R are each connected with a single rod. It will thus be seen that by setting the shifting-levers N according to the sharps and flats required by any signature of a given piece the performer can then play that piece as to the actual notes of the staff, but regardless of the signature, simply playing every note on the white keys.

As indicated in Fig. 5, the spring Sis adapted to engage spaced notches R to hold the slides R- in either the normal or the shifted position to prevent accidental shifting of the slides.

Each rear section H of the natural key II is provided with an auxiliary arm H extending forwardly under the corresponding front section H, and on the forward end of this auxiliary arm H is secured a shank H, extending upwardly and loosely through an aperture in the front end of the finger-piece section H, and the upper end of this shank H is provided with a finger-piece H", which when pressed serves to actuate the rear section H uncoupled at the time from its front section by the corresponding lever N engaging the undercut I of an adjacent black key I. Thus the uncoupled rear section H of a natural key H can be played on pressing the corresponding finger-piece H When it is desired to play, forinstance, one of the natural keys of A while its front and rear sections are uncoupled, it is necessary to press the corresponding finger-piece H arranged above the key of A, so that the auxiliary arm II actuates the rear section H of the key of A.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A keyboard comprising jointed natural keys, sharp and fiat keys, levers fulcrumed on the natural keys and adapted to connect the natural keys with the corresponding flat and sharp keys, to actuate the latter on playing corresponding natural keys and means for actuating the levers, as set forth.

2. A keyboard having a natural key made in sections, and a manually-controlled shifting device for connecting the sections with each other to allow playing the natural key,

the said shifting device comprising a lever fulcrumed on one section of the natural key and adapted to engage the other section and means for actuating the lever, as set forth.

3. A keyboard having a natural key made in sections, of which one is the finger-section and the other the rear section, connected with the piano-action, and an auxiliary arm secured to the rear section and extending to the front of the finger-section,to allow of actu- .IIO

ating the rear section at the time the sections are uncoupled, as set forth.

4. A keyboard having a natural key made in sections independently pivoted, one of the sections being the outer or finger section and the other the rear section, connected with the action, and a manually-controlled shifting device for connecting the outer or finger section'of a natural key with an adjacent flat or sharp key, to actuate the latter on playing the finger-section of the natural key, as set forth.

5. A keyboard comprising natural keys made in sections, pivoted independently one of the other, one of the sections being the finger-section and the other the rear section, connected with the piano-action, sharp and fiat keys, and a plurality of manually-controlled shifting devices, each connecting corresponding natural keys of the several octaves, each shifting device being adapted when actuated to uncouple the natural keys, and to couple the finger-sections thereof with the adjacent flat and sharp keys in the several octaves, as set forth.

6. A keyboard comprising a natural key made in sections pivoted independently of each other, one of the sections being the outer or finger section and the other the rear section, connected with the piano-action, and a manually controlled shifting device for connecting the outer or finger section with an adjacent flat or sharp key,to actuate the latter on playing the fin gar-section of the natural key, the said shifting device comprising a connecting-lever fulcrumed on the fingersection and adapted to engage a projection on the rear section, a projection on the adjacent fiat or sharp key, a slidable bar connected with the said lever, bell-crank levers engaging the bar, and slide-rods having knobs connected with the bell-crank levers, as set forth.

7. A keyboard comprising a natural key made in sections pivoted independently of each other, one of the sections v being the outer or finger section and the other the rear section, connected with the piano-action, and a manually controlled shifting device for connecting the outer or finger section with an adjacent fiat or sharp key, to actuate the latter on playing the finger-section of the natural key, the said shifting device comprising a connecting-lever fulcrumed on the finger-section and adapted to engage a projection on the rear section, a projection on the adjacent flat or sharp key, a slidable bar connected with the said lever, bell-crank levers engaging the bar, slide rods having knobs connected with the bell-crank levers, and a spring for holding the slidable bar in position after it is shifted, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE LAFAYETTE NOE.

Witnesses:

DAVID CASPER, HAYDEN HENDERSON. 

